The Dark Side of the Moon
by BriTalRish
Summary: A massive prison break. A state of emergency. A menace unleashed on an unsuspecting world. A friendship stretched to the breaking point. Sanity lost. Trust broken. An injustice done long ago will come back to haunt both sides of a seemingly endless war.
1. Chapter 1

_**The Dark Side of the Moon**_

**The Condor**

_"It's a new day, but it all feels old. It's a good life, that's what I'm told. But it all just feels the same."-Good Charlotte_

The day that would lead to a devastating downward spiral of disastrous events began like any other.

_At least for the Storm Hawks._

The youngest squadron in all Atmos had grown quite famous by their third year of fighting in the name of Atmosia. True, when they first started out almost no one believed in them, even though they had actually saved Atmos from complete and total conquest at Master Cyclonis' hands within their first week of operation. No, they had received no admiration at all, but they took it good nature. They didn't care, and they didn't let it bother them. _What should the opinions of a couple old geezers matter to them anyway?_

That's what Finn usually said, anyway.

_Right... time for introductions._

Well, first and foremost, was their sky knight. Now a fine young lad of seventeen, Aerrow was still very slight in frame. No over-toned muscles or anything of that kind. Don't assume that he was a weakling though, there was definitely a good amount of iron-like muscle hidden under that flight suit. His hair, still as vibrant and red as ever, remained unruly and wild. Eyes as green as a forest in summer remained optimistic and palyful, though some of the almost child-like joy had faded. Three years of fighting Cyclonia will do that to a person. Said fighting did little to mar his enthusiasm though, despite the number of serious and almost fatal injuries that befell him.

Next up, Aerrow's wingman and best friend, Finn. Still as blonde and blue-eyed as ever, were afraid. And still just as boisterous. The past three years did nothing to dampen his outlook on life. He was perhaps the most wiry of them all, considering he never thought to actually try and tone his muscles. He figured he was irresistable enough as he was. No need for an overkill, he said. _No, of course not._

Finn's best bud, Junko, was the one who handled ballistics and heavy-lifting. A wallop like no other, Junko succeeded in remaining innocent and care-free on the outside, but no one knew what he was like on the inside. He was good at hding things like that from others. Most just assumed he was a carfefree, ignorant infant. Really though, he was far from it. Junko could often be counted on to get his friends out of unfavorable situations, whether by brawn or brain depended on the day.

The navigator and tactician, as well as crystal specialist, Piper. Dark-skinned and dark-haired, but her bright golden eyes gave her an almost exotic appearance. Intelligent but short of temper, Piper is almost the mother of the group, she definitely naggs like one. That's what Finn says. _Finn seems to say a lot of things, doesn't he?_ Of all the Storm Hawks, Piper can be considered the second-most complictaed. You can never really tell what she's thinking.

_When she's in a good mood, at least._

Last but not least, the Pilot. Stork. A pessimist to the end. A typical merb, Stork is gangly, cynical, and intelligent. _In a sick kind of way... _He has a deep connection with the ship he flies, and can coax it into doing almost anything. He's the oldest of them all, perhaps 23. No one knows. The rest are all Aerrow's age.

_Now, enough with the talking, let's get to the actual story._

An average day. Average weather, average activities, average moods.

EVeryone woke up their usual order, with Finn being the last to wake, as usual, and their morning routines were performed like they always were. Stork steered the ship, Junko helped. Finn was messsing around with his guitar, Piper was out on her daily deck jog, and Aerrow was working on his ride.

Yes, perfectly normal.

_If by normal you mean boring... let's liven things up a bit._

Stork had been steering the ship gently over Terra Neon, they had been planning on meeting Starling there later on that night. It was her birthday, and while she didn't know it, the Storm Hawks were planning on surprising her. That plan was thrown out the window however, when the radio sounded.

"Storm Hawks, come in Storm Hawks."

The merb frowned from his spot at the controls, and flipped on the ship's intercom.

"Uh, guys? We got a call, coming from..."

He paused, and flipped the radio on to the loudspeakers. He turned to Junko and motioned for him to stop what he was doing and come over. The huge wallop had been fixing a leak in the water pipe that connected to the kitchen, but put down his tools and came to stand by Stork's side at the helm. Stork nodded his head at the radio and cast the wallop an exasperated look before turning back around and clearing his throat.

"We read you loud and clear. Aerrow, Piper, FInn? You hearing us?"

A series of 'rogers' sounded throughout the ship, signaling the loudspeakers were working right. Stork's lip twitched upward for a moment, he'd been working on that setting for weeks now.

"Good, listen up."

"Starling? Weren't we supposed to meet you later on tonight?"

"Yes yes I know, but this is an emergency. Come to Terra Atmosia, _now._"

"Why, what's going on?"

"The sky council has issued an mandatory and immediate meeting of all the Sky Knight squadrons, in operation or otherwise. I don't know what it's about, but there hasn't been a meeting like this in-"

"In at least a hundred years. Something is definitely up."

"Right, Piper. Get over here, now. Sorry that we couldn't make that Terra Neon trip."

"Hey, there's always next year, right?"

"Next year?"

"Oh, uh... don't mind Junko. He-"

"Nevermind. Just get over here, now. The council won't wait much longer, and I want you guys to be here for this."

"Alright, we'll be there as soon as we can. Storm Hawks, out."

The radio buzzed out, but the speakers remained on. Stork and Junko glanced at each other, one concerned while the other was merely interested in what the infamous Sky Council could possibly want from them. Like Piper had said, a meeting of this type hadn't occured in a century. Not even when the war between the Sky Knights nand the Cyclonians had become official. _Official? Please. A war doesn't need to be acknowledged to be real._

A few minutes later, when everyone had gathered at the kitchen table, the Storm Hawks proceeded to brainstorm on what the meeting could possibly be about. The ship had been put on autopilot, so Stork was able to sit down and think with the rest of the team. Aerrow considered a mass invasion being planned by Cyclonia, Piper thought maybe a third Helix Stone had been discovered, and Stork, as usual, thought it had something to do with a mass disease outbreak.

"II'm telling you, it's probably got something to do with Hyde Rabies! You can only get it after you've been bitten by a Cyclonian Blood Hyde Trackerbeast, no known cure..."

"Stork, Trackerbeasts can only be found _in_ Cyclonia. How would we get them here?"

"They must've escaped! They are highly intelligent, you know." _Not really, you don't have to be a genius_

"The Cyclonians treasure their Trackerbeasts. How would they let it be possible for them to escape?"

Stork was silent for a moment, and Aerrow and Piper glanced at each other, before his eyes lit up with a horrified gleam.

"Oh no. Aerrow, you were right, the Cyclonians _are_ planning an invasion! They're going to use their beats to infect us with Hyde Rabies, and destroy us from the inside! And you know the worst part? They won't even have to get their hands dirty..."

His eye was set a-twitching as he saw the plan unfold in his head, while his teammates stared with both concern and fright. Their pilot really had an active imgination. _'Active' is one word. _Piper was then first to recover, she shook her head and cleared her throat.

"Um, Stork. How close are we to Atmosia?"

The pilots ears snapped up and he practically lept out of his chair. With a quick, 'I'll be right back,' he jogged back in the direction of the bridge. Aerrow sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose to try and prevent the headache he knew was coming. Though they'd been working together for three years, Stork's personality still managed to wear him out every know and again. The fact that the Sky Council was calling a meeting that hadn't occured in a hundred years didn't help.

Just then, Stork's voice rang out on the intercom.

"Um, we've arrived at Terra Atmosia, everyone. Now... where do I park?"

Finn and Junko both stopped the small side conversation they were having and looked at the intercom as if it had just told them the Dark Ace was a girl. _That is, they looked at it with an expression of extreme fascination. Heh._

"What are you talking about, Stork?"

"Come and see for yourself."

Aerrow put his hand down and cast Piper a glance, but she merely shrugged and stood up. The others followed and made their way to the bridge. When they arrived, what they saw made them weak at the knees. They had indeed arrived, but the usualy calm Terra was flooded with ships. They littered the grounds, hovered about the skys, and gave the Terra a very intimidating appearance, as if it was prepared for war. _Because, in a way, it was. They just didn't know it yet._

"Wow..."

"That's... a lot of squadrons."

Aerrow was really concerned, now. Just _hearing_ that there was a mass emergency wasn't enough. But now that he was actually seeing the ships and the skimmers, it seemed like the full weight of the situation was htting him.

_And then, the radio buzzed._

"Storm Hawks, welcome to Terra Atmosia. Please park the _Condor _next to the Third Degree Burner's carrier, if you please."

"Excuse us?"

It was a voice they'd never heard before that came on the radio then, and they weren't expecting it. They had been expecting the weak, yet authoritative voice of one the Sky council members, or maybe even the voice of a fellow Sky Knight. But the voice that came over the radio was unfamiliar. It sounded like it belonged to a young man perhaps a year older than Aerrow.

"Oh, excuse me. My name is Vaan, I'm the Sky council's head guard. I'll be present at the meeting today, I look forward to meeting you."

"Head guard?"

"The Council will explain later. Please, park your ship and come down to the Council hall as soon as possible, there is an extremely important matter that must be addressed today."

"Uh... okay. Thank you, Vaan."

"Of course."

Finn glared at the radio. He didn't like the sound of that guy's voice, though he couldn't really place why. Piper saw his expression and asked him what was wrong.

"It's nothing, that guy just doesn't sound right. I mean, he didn't even say 'your welcome.' I'm not looking forward to meeting him."

Junko quirked a brow at his friend and put a hand on his thin shoulder.

"Aw, come on Finn. I'm sure he can't be _that_ bad, can he? I mean, he works for the Sky Council after all."

"Yeah, and Carver was the most famous and respected Sky Knight ever. And look where he is!" _Don't you mean, where he _was_? Oh wait... we haven't gotten that far yet._

"Look, whether or not you like him doesn't matter. We are here to listen nto what the Council needs to tell us. That's it. Stork? "

"Yeah, yeah."

The _Condor_ swerved down to the Terra below, and flew among the many carrier ships that rested on the hillside by the beacon tower. They soon saw the familiar bulk of the Third Degree Burner's ship, and Stork seated the ship down next to it. After putting on their armor and grabbing their weapons, just in case, they headed outside. Even the nearly-uninhabited hill was bustling with activity. The Storm Hawks waved and smiled at familiar faces as they made their way to the town square. They recognized the Necks Deeps', the Rebel Duck's, and the Screaming Queens' ships when they passed by them, and there were even a few ships they didn't recognize.

They managed to make it to the center of town before they saw their pals, the Absolute Zeros. Unfortunately, their furry friends were too busy wrapped up in conversation to even notice their prescnce, and they passed by without a second glance, despite Aerrow calling out their names in an attempt to get their attention. When they were out of sight, the confused Sky Knight turned back to his squadron. He lifted a hand and gestured with his thumb in the direction that the blizzarians had left, but they merely shrugged.

He frowned, but rolled his eyes and turned to face the tall, familiar figure of the Grand Council Hall.

"Well, time to figure out what all the hulla-ballu is about, right?"

"Starling?"

The Storm Hawks turned naround to find the last remaining Interceptor smiling at them.

"Hey! You wouldn't happen to know what this meeting is about, would you?"

Starling laughed as she walked past them up the stairs, she stopped when she reached the large oak doors. _Hm... investing in something a bit more secure would be smart, don't you think? I mean, there are plenty of people who aren't that fond of our 'beloved' Sky Council..._

"Always right to the point, right Aerrow?"

She pulled open the door on the left and gestured for them to enter.

"What do you say we find out?"

Aerrow smirked and turned back to his team. He flicked his head in the direction of the doors and started up the stairs, his team following suit. Starling smiled and followed them inside.

_And the door slammed shut behind them._


	2. Chapter 2

**Unknown**

_"I must be brave. Come, come what may. Can I be saved? Is there a way? At the opera tonight..."- Repo! The gentic Opera_

Damp, stagnant air was inhaled and exhaled. No pattern. It was drawn in as if each time was the last.

_Never cared much for patterns really. Waste of time, they are. Why make a pattern if you can just make things up as you go along?_

No light resided here, no sound penetrated the air. The room was a thing of nothingness. Of emptiness.

_Home sweet home. Heh... if home is _hell_. That's my life. Hell. All it has been, all it will be. The scenery may change, but it will still be hell. Hell with a different face... I always thought the devil might've been one of my kind. Never know with him, do you? Hell with a different face... huh. Wonder if it'd smell any better than this. My nose freakin hurts... more so than ever before. It's probably because everyone upstairs is so restless. They're sweatin' more than usual, the little rats._

_..._

A small noise, then. As if something twitched.

_Restless rats. Why? They're never restless. They never do anything, they just sit there wasting away. Much like me. Only, their cells get cleaned more than once a month. Why is today different? Why? Hm. If they think they're getting out, then they're all stupider than I thought. If that's possible. Don't think much of 'em now, anyway._

Another twitch. Followed by the sound of movement. Two flourescent spheres appeared in the darkness. Eyes.

_A visitor?_

Blinding white light flooded the room then, and the eyes immediately closed. Footsteps sounded and the figure that had been hunched over in a corner was forcefully lifted from the floor. The figure was dragged from the room and literally thrown out the door. This was necessary, for the figure's limbs were shackled together with heavy chains. The now-empty room consisted only of four metal walls, caked in grime and the remnants of uneaten meals, and one heavy metal door, equally coated. That door was slammed shut. The lights were turned off, and the cell was once again bathed in black darkness.

Footsteps and the sound of clanking metal grew fainter and fainter.

_..._

_I think something interesting will happen today._

**The Grand Council Hall**

_"Hold your breath and count to four. Pinky swears don't work no more."- Billy Talent_

Starling and the Storm Hawks were greeted by a sight they hoped they'd never have to see again. Every single Sky Knight squadron they'd ever known or known of was gathered in that hall. _And in case you didn't know, that's a lot of squadrons. _The members of the Sky Council were each seated in their respective seats atop the large podium that gave them the counncil their intimidating air. It made one feel so small and insignificant.

"Ah, the Storm Hawks. Welcome. Please have a seat."

A young man appeared before them, a young man with that sounded very familiar. He looked to be at least eighteen, maybe older. He had blue hair, lighter than Piper's but darker than the sky on a clear day. Three curved scars went horizontally across his left cheek. But that wasn't what caught their attention. What did catch their attention, were the man's eyes. They were pearly white. They were the eyes of a blind man, yet it seemed as if he could see them all quite clearly.

"Is there something wrong?"

Aerrow frowned, and looked the man up and down. He noticed the crystal saber that hung at the man's belt, and something clicked in his head. His face grew neutral and he offered the young man his hand.

"You must be Vaan. I'm-"

"Aerrow, yes. I've heard much about you and your squadron."

Vaan gripped his hand and shook it, his grip firm. Then his gaze moved to Starling, and his smile faltered.

"Pardon me, but you are?"

Starling smiled and gave a small mock salute.

"Starling of the Interceptors, at your service."

Vaan's eyes widened and he immediately gave a small bow.

"Oh no, it is _I _who is at _your _service."

_Suck up. _Starling nodded and motioned at the commotion that was occuring behind Vaan.

"We haven't missed anything, have we?"

Vaan looked over his shoulder and straightened back up. He turned back to the group and shook his head. Finn watched him from his spot at the back of the pack, frowning. He didn't like this man, no matter how nice he seemed. Something about him was off, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. _Gee, you think it's his eyes, smart guy?_ In fact, when said man came up to him and offered his hand, Finn stuck his nose in the air and walked right past him. Portable stands had been placed before the Sky Council's podium, so the blonde found an empty row and sat down.

"Oh, don't mind him, he's probably just jealous because Starling likes you."

"Shut up, Piper."

Piper just laughed and went to sit on Finn's right side, ignoring his exclamation of protest. Starling rolled her eyes and followed, sitting down next to Piper. Stork mumbled something about a waste of time and walked to the stand to sit down. Junko decided it would feel pretty awkward standing there alone with Aerrow and the strange man, so he went along with Stork. That left the Sky Knight and the Head Guard alone together, and they both cast each other a glance. The kind of glance that said they were respecting each other's authority, and that was it.

"Well, you should go find your seat. The council will be starting their anouncement soon."

_Oh, and we wouldn't want to miss _that _now, would we?_

Aerrow nodded and started to move, but as he passed by, he heard Vaan mumble something nearly inaudible under his breath. His eyes grew wide and he turned to question the man, buit Vaan was already walking away. The Sky Knight frowned, but shook his head and went to sit next to Starling.

"Alright everybody, settle down, settle down."

The Head of the council stood up and clapped his hands, in an attempt to get everyone's attention. That failed however, _obviously you idiot, _and the old man frowned. He gave Vaan, who was now standing at the foot of the podium, an annoyed look. Vaan nodded, pulled out his sword, andswitched it on. It shone with a green light, which suggested it was being powered by a wind stone, and gave it a ligt swing. A green wave of strong wind was sent out over the stands, and everyone immediately quieted down.

The head of the council nodded, and Vaan put away his sword as everyone got themselves situated. The old man nodded and cleared his throat, ready to begin his tale.

"Now, everyone here knows who Xavier the Great was, correct?"

A series of nodds and positive responces filled the room.

"Well, for those of you that may not, he was the very first Sky Knight. A Rex Guardian. He was the one who wrote The Code, freed us from Cyclonian control, and started a new age. He was a great man, who deserves the place of honor we hold him in."

Piper frowned from her seat. Everyone knew who Xavier the Great was, so why was the Sky Council wasting time talking about him? This was a potentially life-changing announcement, not a history lesson. _Ah, but those who don't know the past are doomed to repeat it, right?_

"Now, what does this have to do with the reason we called you all here? Well, most of you don't know this, but before Xavier the Great passed, he had a great building constructed in his name. It was-"

"Yes yes, it was the Sky Knight Academy. Is there anything you have to say that we don't already know?"

Piper had had enough. Her and her team rushed to Atmosia expecting a threat on their freedom or something just as major. She didn't expect nor did she want a history lesson on things she already knew. She didn't care if the entire council was glaring at her as if she had just spoiled a surprise party.

The head of the council cleared his throat and fixed his bow-tie, even though there was nothing really wrong with it. _Well, you know. When you're in an awkward spot, you gotta do something that makes you look like you aren't flustered by it. Even if it is something stupid like fixing a tie..._

"No, I'm afraid that's not what we are talking about. What we _were _talking about, was Xavier's Prison."

A chorus of confusion filtered out across the room, and Piper raised a brow. Now there was something she'd never heard of.

"You see, before he died, he feared that the current prisons and stockades weren't adequate enough to hold some of the nastier prisoners they housed. So, to fix this problem, he constructed his own prison. It was a grand place, impossible to escape. Twenty-four hour watch, impenetrable containment centers, and an emergency self-destruct procedure. There was no way anyone could ever escape it."

Starling raised her hand, a completely no-nonsense expression on her face. The head of the council motioned for her to speak. She nodded and stood up.

"Sir, what does this have to do with today's world? Surely a prison bulit that long ago wouldn't be in use now."

The old man's face grew grim.

"Right, this is where the bad news comes. You see, this prison _is _still being used today. In fact, it's nearly half-full. Almost all of our worst enemies and criminals are being kept there, for we voted that each was too dangerous to be kept in the average stockade. We even thought of sending Carver there, but decided against it."

At that, Aerrow raised his head from his hand, where it had been resting, and his eyes widened. Something Vaan had said to him earlier came back to him.

_"Don't forget yourself. No matter what these geezers say."_

Now, his gaze moved around the room, drifting across the faces filled with confusion, until they rested on the young man that stood rigid as a statue by the Sky Council podium. Aeerow's keen green eyes earched through Vaan's pearly white ones, but they betrayed nothing. No emotion whatsoever. Aerrow leaned back and sighed. He was a tad jealous, he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to get his face looking _that _neutral. Still, Vaan's words unsettled him. The young man was the council's guardian, why would he speak of them in such a poor manor?

_'Maybe Finn's right. Maybe we shouldn't trust him...'_

The Sky Knight fixed his gaze back on the head of the council, and let out the question that had been bugging him for the last ten minutes.

"So, sir, what exactly are we here for? Are we to guard this prison, escort someone there... or are we supposed to play executioner?"

The old man's eyes fixated on his, and eyebrows knitted together, as if he was surprised the Sky Knight would suggest such a thing. _Yeah, there are no executioners here. We either kill ourselves or kill each other._

"No, Sky Knight, we don't want you to kill anyone."

"So then, 'fer the hundredth time, what is it you need us to do there, chief?"

Every head in the room turned to the doorway. There stood the Absolute Zeros, the only squadron that wasn't seated in the stands. Suzy-Lu and Billy-Rex were at the front, with the other four standing behind them. They appeared to be, well... not quite flustered, but definitely uncomfortable. Piper was the first to notice why. Blizzarians are used to the cold of the icy landscapes and vast snowbanks of Blizzaris, or Terra Nord. They weren't equipped to deal with the heat of other Terras. During the Geat Race held on Terra Saharr, they'd go through nearly a hundred gallons of ice water a day in order to stay cool. _Now that's a big bill..._

Right now though, they were panting like dogs, save for Suzy-Lu who was chewing her ever-present bubblegum. And their usual winter-wear had been replaced with skin-tight shirts and pants, the fabric ranging through different shades of blue. And they looked pissed.

"If you hoasers don't tell us what we need to do in five seconds, me and the boys are walking out. We had some serious back-country training planned for today, but we had to rush on over here. And you're not even tellin' us what you need us 'fer."

The male population of the Absolute Zeros all glowered at the council with crossed arms, though the fact that their tongues were all hanging out of their mouths didn't make the glares quite as intimidating as they could've been. The girls rolled their eyes at the sight. A couple giggles came from the stands, and the head of the council sighed and put a hand to his forehead.

"Ah, the Absolute Zeros. Finally decided to join us?"

The Council members weren't fond of the Absolute Zeros, they were too wild and unpredictable for their liking. Then old men liked things organized and mapped out. The Zeros made things up as they went along. Still, the Council tolerated them because they were one of the best Squadrons out there. In fact, they had single-handedly freed Terra Blizzaris from Cyclonian control a few months earlier. Terra Nord was glad to be rid of them. They were fun for a while, but if you weren't exactly a party person, they'd get on your nerves sooner or later.

"Yea, and we're regrettin' it already, eh."

The Head of the Council fixed the blizzarians with a glare, with Suzy-Lu glaring right back. Neither faltered, until Suzy-Lu decided she was bored. She popped her gum and turned to face her team. The boys nodded, albeit a bit forcefully, and moved past her to find seats in the stand, the girls following without protest. Fortunately, the only empty seats were behind the Storm Hawks, so they were happy to have some decent people to sit by. Suzy-Lu and Billy-Rex sat right behind Piper and Starling, flashing them toothy grins as they got themselves situated.

"Now, if our furry friends are done, we will tell you what it is you need to do. Vaan?"

Theyoung man in question disappeared for a second, and returned with a large roll of parchment. This parchment he set up on the Counil's podium, like the way a world map is set up on the wall of a classroom, and let it unfurl. It was a map, that much was obvious, but the SKy Knights weren't quite sure what of. Piper guessed it was a map of the Terra the prison was located on, and asked if it was.

"Yes my dear, this is a map of Terra Anoyo. The terra on which Xavier's Prison is located. Each squadron will recieve a smaller version of this map when the meeting is ajourned. We do indeed need you to guard this prison, for it is in danger of having a massive break-out. If this break-out succeeds, then I fear for us all."

A chorus of gasps and curses swept across the stands. A shiver went up Stork's spine as he imagined the world filled with escapees. His eye twitched and he whimpered when he pictured his beloved _Condor_ being torn to pieces by vengeful criminals.

_'To heck with us,' _he thought, _'We all die sooner or later. I fear for the _Condor's _saftey!'_

"Alright, you're teeling us there's a prison we've never heard of, and that it's filled with criminals we're lucky we've never met, and those criminals might just be set loose in the world? Wouldn't a prison _this _important have an army guarding it?"

Blister of the Third Degree Burners spoke up from his seat toward the front. He had been looking forward to today, his baby was supposed to be getting a tune-up and a new paint job, but this meeting had totally ruined it all. Now he was in a bad mood, and he wasn't afraid to let it show when he spoke. The council noticed it in his tone, and they grew a bit nervous. Having a Sky Knight pissed off at you was a bad thing, no matter who you were. _What if you were their mom? That'd be an interesting fight? Heh heh. _

"Yes, that's what we are saying. And, considering you all said the Sky Knight's oath, you and your squadrons are required to make sure this break-out does not come to happen. If it does, then it will be your responsibilty to round up every single escapee that was set loose, and bring them before us."

EVerything from moans to shoat of protest came from the squadrons that sat before the council, and Vaan had to flick his sword on for the second time that day. After everyone had quieted down a satisfactory amount, the head of the council stood up.

"I know you all must have had other things to do, but we need to make sure those prisoners stay in their prison. You should know that we need to do whatever we can to make sure the people under our care are kept safe. Just think of what could happen if the Cyclonians were able to convince these criminals to help them overthrow us! We are the ones who put them in prison after all! They'd be overjoyed! They must not be allowed to escape!"

"Pardo me, eh, but if these hoasers are so damn dangerous, why haven't they been executed?"

Starling and Piper both turned to look at Suzy-Lu. The blizzarian was completely serious, she wanted to know why these criminals were still alive if they were such a danger to the world. However, her question had greatly unsettled the council, and the head had actually turned his back on the Sky Knights to ask his colleagues for help with the answer. This question had succeeding in getting the rest of the Sky Knights curious, and now they too were clamoring for an answer. The council lloked to be in trouble, but then Vaan stepped forawrd and raised his hands for quiet.

"My friends, do realize what you're asking? Why have these people not been killed? Because they are still human, and they are humans who have not been given their second chance. And does not the Code, written by Xavier the Great himself, say that all people, good or bad, are still people? Do really think we are that inhumane? This upsets me. How could you even think we would consider killing these people as if they were rats?"

Now Aerrow was truly confused. Hadn't this man told him no more than twenty minutes ago not to trust the council? And now he was sticking up for them? Not only was Aerrow confused, he was suspicious. Vaan was extremely good at knowing what to say, for the clamor in the stands was slowly quieting down. Aerrow himself wasn't quite satisfied with the answer, but he did feel slightly embarrassed. He always said that people were people, no matter what they'd done in the past. There was always room for a change of heart. That's what he'd taught a number of people during his three years of being a Sky Knight.

When Vaan stepped back to allow the council to continue, he looked Aerrow straight in the eye. It was only for a split second, but it made Aerrow extremely uneasy. He didn't have long to dwell on it though, for the council members were ready to continue relaying instructions.

"So, before you leave the building, be sure to get the map, as well as a list of the inmates that reside in the prison. Even if you succeed in stopping the break-out, one or two prisoners may escape. The list contains not only the descriptions, but pictures of the prisoners themselves. When everything has calmed down, use that information to help the guards that already work there take inventory on all the inmates. If one is missing, you can use the information to help you locate the prisoner and bring he or she back home."

"Wait, so there are alread guards there?"

"Yes, but we need to take the initiative and provide any support we can, the guards will need all the help they can get."

The head looked around the room, and then motioned to Vaan. The young man nodded and headed off down a corridor. Starling watched him go and guessed he was supposed to go and get the papers. She wasn't really comfortable with the entire meeting, she felt that the Council hadn't told them everything. But she wasn't too worried. After all, every Sky Knight and their squadrons would be there, and that would probably be more than enough security to guard a couple of handfuls of criminals.

"Are there any questions, SKy Knights? No? Good. You are to head over to Terra Anoyo as soon as you are done preparing for the trip. Be sure to stock up on anything you may need for a fight, if god forbid one should occur. That is all. This meeting is ajourned."

Aerrow was the first to stand and leave the stands. His teammates looked after him with worried glances and got up to follow. Suzy-Lu and Billy-Rex looked at each other, shrugged, and decided to follow, the other Zeros trailing behind them.

Vaan had reappeared by the doorway, a stack of papers in his arms. He nodded to Aerrow and handed him the first pack of paper. Aerrow took it without so much as a glance in Vaan's direction and continued walking. Starling apologized for Aerrow's behavior and took one of the packets for herself, skimming over the front page for a second before following Aerrow.

"Aerrow, slow down. I know you're annoyed, but-"

"Annoyed? No. I'm suspicious. There's something they aren't telling us, and I want to know what it is. Let's just get over to this prison and get ourselves ready for a fight. Piper, Stork, you think you guys can get us there quickly?"

"Yeah, probably. I'm pretty sure I know which quadrant this Terra is in, and if not then I'm sure there's some record of it in the Code."

"And we should be good on fuel for a while, as far as I know."

"Good. Starling, you want to hitch a ride with us?"

"Sure thing, I parked Red near the _Condor, _I'll be ready to go in no time."

"Is that an extended invitation there, chief?"

"Huh?"

The Absolute Zeros looked ready to drop, even Suzy-Lu was starting to pant, and was just waiting for her gum to fall out of her mouth. _Ew..._

"Yeah, you guys got some nice air conditioning up there on the _Condor, _eh."

Two of the boys, Billy-Rex and Robby-Ray, both decided to lean on Piper for support. Billy-Rex on the left, Robby-Ray on the right. Piper scrunched up her nose, because let's just say wet Blizzarian fur does not smell good, but made no move to get them off. Billy-Rex's dark blue head-fur had gone shade darker, same for Robby-Ray's brown fur. The rest of the team looked on, small smirks on their faces.

"Um, since it looks like you guys need it, I guess we've got room. Right Stork?"

The merb rolled his eyes and muttered something inaudible, which Aerrow decided to take as a 'yes'.

"Alright. Once everyone is on the _Condor, _we'll head out."

**The Council's Record Room**

_"Liar liar pants on fire, hanging from a telephone wire."- The Used_

After the squadrons had filed out of the Grand Hall, Vaan came in to drop off a huge stack of papers. Most of which were the regular reports of the Terra's state of operation, population, crime rate, and such. The old men each sat at their respective place and began to go over the papers. One of these old men was feeling uneasy about the way the meeting had went. This man's name was Aelis, and he didn't feel comfortable lying to all of Atmos' SKy Knights as well as their squadmates.

"Aelis, what's wrong? Did something one of the Sky Knights say upset you?"

The old man looked up. Well, he wasn't really that old. He was fifty-two, much younger than the other members of the council. The others were all around seventy, the head was actually eighty-one. Aelis had qualities that didn't quite put him into the same category as the others when it came to the looks department. His hair wasn't neccessarily white, like the others, but a very handsome silver. It was slicked back, but a few loose strands came down over his face. His eyes were a very soft brown, and they held a certain spark that the other members of the council had lost long ago.

"Well, I don't feel quite comfortable not telling them the whole story. What if something happens?"

The head of the council snorted from his seat in the middle of the group, fixing Aelis with a look that clearly said he thought the man was an idiot. _You ain't too smart yourself there, chief._

"Please, what could happen? The guards there are more than enough to deal with a couple of filthy prison rats."

"Yes, but..."

"But what?"

"Carver is the one leading the assualt isn't he? And he was one of our greatest Sky Knights. I knew we should have sent him to Xavier's after what happened the last time he was let out of prison."

The head ignored him and continued going through the papers before him, as did the others. _That's why we call them 'others.' They never do anything worth mentioning._

Aelis sighed and went back to his paperwork, unaware that someone had just heard every word they'd said...

_And was pointing a crystal shooter at the head of the council._


	3. Chapter 3

**Terra Anoyo: _The Chief_**

_"Although we have no obligation to stay alive, our broken backs we beg for mercy, we will survive! Break out, or we'll be left here, behind closed doors..." - Rise Against_

"You know to wait for Carver's signal, right Allie-Jay?"

"Yeah, yeah boss."

Two creatures, a raptor and a blizzarian stood at the helm of the small carrier ship. The raptor, male, was tall and stoic. His scales were an odd shade of green for a raptor, like the color of fresh pine needles. Usually raptors were more like the color of the many cactuses that littered Terra Bogaton's landscape. Other than this, he was a perfectly average raptor. Sharp, long head spikes, and a pale underbelly. His tail swayed back and forth slightly, showing his obvious irritation for the nickname his blizzarian friend used.

"You know I don't like being called 'boss'. Just because I'm Hoerk's son doesn't make me any better than any other Talon."

"That may be, scaly butt, but you _are _the owner of the _Chief_, are you not?"

The raptor growled and his scaly tail curled. Boss was one thing, but scaly butt? Now that was just rude. True, his father did give him the small carrier ship for this mission, but that didn't make him the boss.

It made him captain. There was a difference. He made a point to remind his partner of this, and she replied by snorting and raising her furry ears.

"Whatever you say, _captain. _By the way, I've been thinking about getting some highlights. What do you think?"

"No. Your fur is fine the way it is now. And please don't call me captain... it sounds weird."

"Jeez, make up your freaking mind, Remus."

Allie-Jay wasn't your average blizzarian. The furry disasters were usually light-hearted, fun, and wild. Allie-Jay was wild, that was for sure, but she wasn't exactly a ray of sunshine. She was biting, cold, and pessimistic. Remus was the only one that she acted even semi-tolerable around. Him and the Talon Commanders of course. She was no idiot, a smart dog didn't bite the hand that fed it.

Her looks seemed to reflect her personality. Her black head fur was clipped short, aside from her bangs, which she let grow long enough to hide her hard, golden eyes. Her ears had several piercings, most of them silver, that lined up along the edges of her long ears. She wore a customized Talon uniform which consisted of black pants, a hole cut in the back for her short tail, and a red sleeveless shirt with the Talon insignia in red. Black arm guards and black fingerless gloves protected the skilled hands that worked the ships controls.

Remus wore pants similar pants to Allie-Jay's, but he wore a vest instead of a shirt. His father had once told him a story about a man who was hanged by the hem of his shirt, and that pretty much turned him off of the common attire for good. Besides, vests were much more comfortable, at least in his opinion. So much lighter and non-constricting. He wondered why people didn't wear them all the time.

"Is that it?"

Remus raised his head and his pupils instincitvely constricted. A raptor's eyes had one unique and useful feature which was the reason they were excellent hunters. When their pupils went to slits, their vision extended and could focus in on things that were too far away to see with the average eye. Remus used this to his advantage, and focused in on the image of the Red Eagles' ex-Sky Knight.

He had his skimmer, now stripped of the Red Eagles' shields, parked on outcropping just below the terra's egde. That's where everyone was, below the terra's false top. Several carrier ships, all loaded with talons, were floating around the area beneath the terra. Xavier's Prison was intelligently built within the terra itself. The top of the terra was empty, desolate and devoid of any signs of life. It was a wonder raptors hadn't tried to settle there.

_'Maybe they did try... and maybe the were killed for it.'_

From what Carver had told them, the prison guards at Xavier's didn't give much leeway for intruders. And it _was_ part of their job to keep the prison a secret, so having people who knew of it's existence walking around didn't exactly run in their favor.

"Yeah... I think that's it. You ready for this?"

Allie-Jay flicked her ears and flashed Remus a grin.

"Does the Dark Ace have a stick up his ass?"

Remus chuckled and pressed a finger to the radio switch.

"Carver, come in Carver."

"Is that you, Remus? What is it?"

"We get the guys in Block 13, right?"

"Right. Where they keep the really rotten ones. You think you and AJ'll be able to handle them without me?"

The blizzarian in question bristled at the nickname, but continued to guide the _Chief _down to their designated entry gate. The plan was that every ship had a pre-chosen entry gate, and once the signal was given, the gates would be opened and everyone would fly in to collect their designated prisoners. Master Cyclonis wanted them for her new Talon platoon, one that would be made up of masters at stealing, theiving and fast-talking. This break-out had been planned for weeks, and there was no way it was going to fail.

Even _if_ the Sky Knights found their way inside.

Clusters of cloaking crystals had been strategically placed all around the terra, and Carver had the trigger. Once everyone was inside, he'd flick the switch and activate them all, completely cloaking the terra. It was brilliant really, even Allie-Jay was impressed. How could the Sky Knights stop a break-out they couldn't see? And, even if the Sky Knights got close, everyone would still be safe. The lookouts were a specially-chosen group of talons that had snuck inside the prison, cracked some skulls, and stolen their very own guard uniforms. They were the ones that would open the gates and let the rest of the talons inside, and they'd be the ones to alert the Cyclonians of any coming threat.

As long as the prisoners cooperated.

That was the only hitch in the plan. If one could call it that. Not even the Master herself knew what the prisoners would really do once they'd been let out of their cells. Most assumed they'd be grateful for rides out of there, and listen to them long enough to hear they'd be fighting against the people that put them in jail in the first place. But, with people who were bad enough to be even sent to Xavier's, you never knew.

Still, even if the prisoners didn't want to go quietly, everyone had been given paralyzer stones. Paralyzer stones were crystals made by Master Cyclonis especially for this occation. They worked to shut down an organism's nervous system by overloading it with electirc waves. It didn't hurt, but it did leave you immoblie for a good two hours.

"Alright you two, our guys should be opening the gates in three... two..."

Allie-Jay's grip on the wheel tightened, and Remus reached down for his sword, the cool of the steel calming his nerves.

"One."

The gate gave a great creak, one that sent shivers down the two talon's spines, and began to ease open.

"As soon as the opening is big enough-"

"We floor it."

"Pretty much. And remeber, you _are not _allowed to leave the prison under _any _circumstances unless I say so. If you leave the terra, then the _Chief _will become visble and the Sky Knights will know something is wrong. Do you hear me?"

"Yeah yeah... that looks big enough for me. Jailbirds here we come!"

The gate wasn't even halfway opened, but the wily blizzarian paid no mind. If the Sky Knights were coming, then they needed to do this fast, right? Remus' hands balled into fists and he growled, but did nothing to stop her. Allie-Jay was a risk-taker, but she knew better than to mess up such a critical mission. Something as stupid as tearing the ship wide open before they even got inside is something that even she wouldn't do.

On purpose.

However, accidents were things Allie-Jay didn't make all too often, so as her skilled hands guided the small ship through the small opening, the young raptor wasn't too worried. He was anxious to get started, that was for sure, but also nervous. He was still something of a greenhorn when it came to Talon business. Usually he was assigned missions that involved stealing things, like crystals, maps, and such. He supposed this _was_ stealing in a way, but it sure as hell wouldn't be as easy as shoving a couple of stones in your pocket when no one was watching.

Once the gate was behind them and they were inside the prison, Allie-Jay immediately had to stop and search for the headlight power switch. The entire world around them had gone black, there was no light and no noise it was extremely unsettling.

"Carver, is it supposed to be this dark?"

Silence over the intercom.

"Carver? Carver, come in."

The raptor and blizzarian looked at each other, and shivers went down both their spines. This prison was creepy, dark, and their radios didn't work. How were they supposed to know when to leave if Carver couldn't contact them? Regardless, Allie-Jay finally found the lighting system and flicked the switch. Light flooded the long stone tunnel that stretched before them. Farther down, Remus could see several steel doors lined up along both sides of the tunnel.

"Those must be the cells farther down. Drive her down a bit more, and then we'll park."

Allie-Jay nodded and eased the ship forward, cautious to avoid scratching the _Chief's _paintjob on the tunnel walls. Remus gripped the hilt of his sword and left the bridge. As he strode down the hall, he continued to practice his speech. Once the prisoners were in the ship, they'd need a damn good reason to not kill the two talons, take the ship, and fly away to Terra Saharr or somewhere similar.

_'If you behave yourselfs long enough to... no that won't work. Maybe... if you will just allow us to tell you our plan for you all... damn it. Why is this so hard? Oh well, first we need to get them _on _the ship before we figure out how to keep them there.'_

He reached the hangar just as Allie-Jay was setting the _Chief _down onto the tunnel floor. Remus lowered the hangar's ramp and, making sure his paralyzer stone was still in his pocket, made his way down.

He started his job straightaway, jutting his sword into the lock on one of the heavy metal cell doors. The door swung open without a sound, and the raptor was met with more blackness. He growled and activated the scalus crystal within his sword's hilt. The sword's light cast a dark golden glow throughout the room, revealing a figure hunched over against the far wall.

"...put that light out."

"Excuse me?"

"It hurts."

Remus eyed the man that leaned against the wall, and focused in on his eyes. Screwed shut. The raptor soon figured out why. The cells were in absolute darkness almost all the time, so he could guess that every prisoner's eyes were so used to it, that even the moon might hurt them. No wonder this man was asking him to de-activate his sword.

"Sorry, but I'm going to need to keep this on so I can remove those chains."

The prisoner perked up at this, and cracked one eye open ever so slowly. Remus moved closer, but lowered the power level on the sword, so that the light became dimmer enough for the inmate's sensitive eyes. As Remus set to work on the heavy chains that bound the man's hands and feet, he felt rather than saw the prisoner's eyes on him.

"Who are you?"

The last chain fell away from the man's hands, and he reached up to rub at his chafed wrists. Remus motioned for the inmate to follow him as he left the cell. He waited patiently for the man to regain full control over his under-used legs, and soon the man stood beside him, still eyeing him suspiciously.

"I'm a friend. We have been sent here to get you all out of this place."

"We?"

Remus chuckled and pointed to Allie-Jay, who was now handling her own prisoner on the other side of the hall. The man squinted, before smirking and turning back to Remus.

"And what makes you think we _want _to get out of here?"

"You and I both know that that was a dumb question."

"...okay. You aren't an idiot. I'll go with this, for now, but only because this place is hell. But you're gonna need a damn good reason to keep me from stealing that nice ship over there and taking off later. You got that, kid?"

"Yessir."

* * *

A few hours later, every cell in the hallway had been relieved of it's occupant.

Allie-Jay and Remus stood before a crowd of merbs, humans, raptors, and even a few blizzarians. All of which had one thing in common. They each had numbers tattooed, though the job was clearly very poorly done, on their necks. The numbers were each seven symbols, ranging from 0000004 to 0002791. The first moment Remus noticed the tattoo on his first prisoner's neck, he visbly flinched. That's how ragged and poorly cared for they were.

"Okay, is this everyone?"

"How the hell should we know?"

Allie-Jay frowned at the merb that chose to give such an unneccessary spiteful tone to his words.

"Well, we cleared every cell, is there anywhere else we should look?"

"Did you check the holes?"

Every head turned to look at the old man that sat huddled at the back of the crowd. He was gaunt, grizzly, and crippled. Remus had had to carry him to the ship. He wasn't exactly talon material, but he seemed wise enough to maybe be a strategist. There was one tiny problem with that, though.

He was blind.

He stared away into nothingness, his eyes a clear and empty blue. If one could call it that. There wasn't even any real color in his iris at all. If blue had a shadow, that was the shade of the man's eyes.

"Holes?"

"Yes."

"What are they?"

"You'll see. There are five at the end of the hallway."

"But we went to the end of the hallway. All there was were five hatches in the floor and-"

"I'll be right back."

Allie-Jay trotted off down the hall, leaving Remus the nervous raptor alone with a crowd of deadly criminals. If reptiles could sweat, then Remus would have been sleek with the stuff. Each and every inmate eyed him with an almost mischeivous gleams in their eyes. The first prisoner that Remus had released smirked, stood up, and moved to stand right before the nervous raptor.

"Remeber what I said before? Well I suggest you start your speech before I decide to take this baby off your hands."

A chorus of chuckles and noises of agreement rose up from behind the man, and Remus sighed. His speech would have had to have come out sooner or later. Now probably was the best time. He just hoped he worded things right and kept his ship and his cargo under his control.

"Who put you all in this shit hole?"

"Those goddamned self-righteous Sky Council bastards."

"Exactly. Now, if you would be so kind as to stay with us, you'd be able to see each and every one of those bastards die."

Silence.

"Explain."

"You may not know this, depending on when you were sentenced, but there is a war going on. Between us, the Cyclonians, and the Atmosian bastards who act like their way is the only way. Our leader, Master Cyclonis, is a cunning and calculating fighter that can and will promise that every single Atmosian that opposes us will either bow before us... or die. And you can help us do this."

"And why would we want to help you rule the world? We just want the first thing you promised."

"I know. And you don't need to stay with us for the entire war. If you want, as soon as every old geezer that put you in here is six feet under, you may be relieved of duty. And we will ensure that you will never be put back in prison."

"And you really think you can promise that?"

"We can. Master Cyclonis has a special force that can ensure that no harm will come to you after your job is done. They are merciless assasins, and will not hesitate to kill anyone who threatens your safety."

The crowd of criminals went silent, but the man that stood before Remus continued to question him.

"I don't think your Master would be able to protect us. These tattoos will show who we are. Everywhere we go we'll be hunted. How can you protect us?"

Remus met his stare cooly and evenly, despite the growing tension in the crowd.

"You can't recognize someone by something you can't see. There are plenty of civialian clothes, piloting uniforms, and accessories that easily cover the neck. Besides, only the Sky Council knows what those marks mean. If a person doesn't know what something means, then how could they possibly see it as something that should be thrown in prison? There are well-known and well-trusted pilots with weirder features."

"Great speech buddy. But your praise is going to have to be cut short."

Allie-Jay was back, with a crowd. Five more prisoners, four male and one female. They weren't what caught the raptor's attention, though.

There was a guard with her. One of their men in disguise no doubt, but the sight of the uniform unsettled every criminal in the room. Some even started to stand, while others muttered amongst themselves.

"Everyone please, don't worry. This guard is not really a guard. He's one of our men in disguise. There's no need to worry."

"That's right, I'm working to get you all out of here. Now, I need to talk to you two."

The three talons huddled together, while the four male prisoners went to join the rst of the crowd. The female however, stayed right were she was, by the exit.

She was human, with a neutral skintone and an oddly well-built frame. Even the strongest of the other prisoners had absolutely no muscle left in their limbs. This girl, though they were slight, had obvious muscle lining her arms and legs. Though the muscles were stringy and thin, they were still something to watch for. Allie-Jay made note of this as she gave the girl a once-over.

She only looked to be about seventeen, Allie-Jay's own age, and she was probably the youngest one there. Her tattoo number read 0000011. Her head was down, so Allie-Jay couldn't see her face, but she probably wouldn't have been able to even if the girl's neck was as straight as an arrow. A mane of messy hair spiked out in every direction, the color an odd shade of reddish-brown. There was a definite presence of red, but the color was still brown.

Allie-Jay made a mental note to keep an eye onthis girl, and turned back to her felow talons.

"What's up?"

"Okay... first off..."

The talon handed Remus a small radio, one that he had never seen the likes of before. He examined it from every angle, but could find no talk switch, and no antennae. There was only a speaker and a white light below it.

"This is a special underground radio. It's the only kind that will work down here, because of this weird magnetic field the rocks of the tunnels give off. It's why the _Chief's _radio doesn't work. Carver wanted me to give it to you. When you want to talk, put your finger over that light there. It'll work. Secondly, did you retrieve every prisoner from this area?"

Remus looked to Allie-Jay for confirmation, and when she nodded, he turned back to the guard and replied, 'Yessir.' The officer gazed at the crowd for a minute, and turned back to them.

"Alright. We need to leave soon, because Carver wants us to blow the place up."

"Blow it up!?"

"Yes. The prison itself is filled with violent crystals that will set off a chain reaction when we activate the detonater. He wants to destroy this place for good, so we'll never have to do something like this again. But there's one problem."

"What's that?"

The talon glanced at the prisoners again, for longer this time. He turned back to them and leaned in close, his voice little more than a whisper.

"The Sky Knights are here."


	4. Chapter 4

**Xavier's Prison: Watchtower AXMD**

_"It feels so good to be bad! So delightful to be a deplorable cad. It's so appealing to have the feeling that what you're doing gets trouble brewing and drives everybody mad! You've got my guarantee, it feel so good to be bad!" - All Dogs go to Heaven 2_

The sight of the _Condor _both angered and excited Carver. He stood at the window of the watchtower, his brown eyes reflecting the many familiar carriers that housed his greatest enemies. His gaze was still transfixed on the _Condor, _memories of his many defeats by Aerrow's hand resurfacing. He had let go of his grudge long ago, after realizing that his time was put to better use serving Master Cyclonis rather than rotting in jail, wallowing in self pity. It was probably the best decision he'd ever made.

Since joining Cyclonia, he had regained his former state of importance. He was a great thief, which he realized not long after his defection, and was now a vital supplier for some of the rarer materials his master requested. He had many subordinates, which he enjoyed greatly, and had regained the respect he so rightly deserved.

"Sir, what should we do?"

The commander turned back around to give his cadets his full attention.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, should we tell the others to stay put, fight, or what?"

Carver raised a hand to his chin to ponder. Staying put would probably be the better option, since the talons were greatly outnumbered. However, if the Sky Knights remained in the skies around the terra for an extended period of time, one of their crystal engineers would figure out what was going on. And, if they did fight, they would have the element of surprise. Besides, they wouldn't have to actually beat the Knights in a battle, they'd just have to be dealt with long enough for the carriers with the prisoners to be safely on their way back to Cyclonia.

A buzzing at his hip made Carver look down to his radio and press his finger over the switch.

"Sorry, Carver here. Repeat."

"Carver, it's us. Remus and Allie-Jay. Your orders?"

"I take it that means you have everyone?"

"Yessir."

"Good. Now, what I want you to do is just cruise back to the entrance, but stay _inside. _Once you're there, wait for further instruction. I may just have an idea."

"Alright. I trust you."

He turned to the cadets that were working the huge computers that lined the wall of the security room, pushing the many buttons of the biggest keyboard Carver had ever seen, filled with different sets of color-coded keys. His two cadets typed away, different screens flickered as different keys were pushed.

"Boys, where is that self-destruct switch?"

Without speaking, the cadet farthest from Carver set to work on a set of black keys. A click was heard, and a compartment toward the middle of the keyboard opened up. A small trigger device, an antennae and a red button set into a small metal square. It looked rather insignificant to be something that could set the entire terra ablaze.

Carver reached down and picked the small device up in his hand, fingering it gently. A small smirk found it's way onto his face as a perfectly wonderful plan formed in his head. He chuckled and brought his radio back up to his face.

"Everybody... I think I know a way to exert the full potential of this situation. Get your guns ready, and make sure our flags are hoisted as clear as day."

**The **_**Condor **_

_"Game over, for now. Winning the game, the only rule allowed. No more good luck, or cheers from the crowd. When the game began you'd never thought you'd lose, but your time is up I play to bruise." - Alexa Vega_

"Piper, are you sure we aren't-"

"If we're lost it's only because the Sky Council needs a new cartographer... that's a person who makes maps."

"I know what a cartographer is!"

Robby-Ray laughed at Finn's embarrassment.

"Yeah, I knew them hoasers had no idea what the 'ell they was talking about, eh. This prison proly' doesn't even exist."

"I don't know Billy-Rex, they seemed pretty worked up about the whole thing at the meeting."

"That was just to sell it, eh! I bet this whole thing is just a hoax, a test! That's it, it's all another exam to make sure we've still got it, eh! The hoasers..."

"Thank you Suzy-Lu, but I don't think-"

But it was too late. Now Billy-Rex and Suzy-Lu were going on and on about conspiracies and ass-kickings, and there was no stopping them. The noise was making Aerrow's headache worse, he seemed to be getting a lot of those lately, so he tried to stop them. Finn, Starling, and the rest of the Absolute Zeros looked on in amusement. Piper ignored them all and, map in hand, went to pay her favorite merb a visit.

"So, Stork. Any ideas as to where our terra is?"

"Eh... there are hundreds of possibilities. The Leviathan swung by, Cyclonia tested one of their new lasers, oh! It could have been deadly Rock Crunching Flyers!"

Piper rolled her eyes and returned her gaze to the map.

"I just don't get it. It's not like the council would lie to us..."

Stork shrugged and gave the sky before them a once-over. Many of the other Sky Knights seemed to be in the same predicament as they were, confused and unsure about what to do next. Their ships hung in the sky, for their pilots had nowhere to pilot them. Sure, they all would have liked to have gone home, but what would they have said? Oh sorry, but the maps you gave us didn't take us anywhere and that prison you told us to protect doesn't exist. Can we go home now?

No. That wouldn't go well.

"Maybe the weren't lying. Maybe it's just invisible. The prison I mean. You know, as a security thing?"

Junko loomed above them both a hopeful expression on his face. Stork seemed to consider it, but Piper smiled and gave the wallop a pat on the shoulder. An invisible terra? Sure, it was possible, but the number of shielding crystals needed would be huge, and anything that had possession of that many crystals wouldn't stay a secret for very long. Cyclonia would have robbed it long ago.

That was another thing that didn't make sense to the navigator.

Cyclonia had connections throughout all of Atmos, it just wasn't possible for a prison of that size and importance to go unnoticed up until now. Master Cyclonis probably would give anything to have those criminals on her side... she would have done this raid in a situation that was more in her favor. On top of that, she wouldn't have let information about the raid get out so the mission would be at the risk of failure. It didn't make sense.

"This whole thing just seems... off. Know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Piper resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Stork was never really one to offer any poitive response.

The merb's ears suddenly pricked, and his long fingers tightened on the wheel. Junko and Piper stared, but the paranoid pilot had his eyes narrowed on something in the sky. It was a skimmer, but it was a skimmer that hadn't been there before. Stork grabbed hold of his crystal peepers to get a closer look. What he saw caused him to shriek and jump back.

"Carver!"

"What?"

"Look!"

Piper grabbed a hold of the peepers and looked to where Stork was pointing. It _was _Carver. On a _cyclonian _skimmer. Flying straight at them, guns blazing.

"Stork!"

He wasted no time on a verbal rply, but immediately grabbed the controls and jerked them this way and that, to avoid the blasts. But the number of blasts was steadily increasing, and it was getting harder and harder to dodge them all. Which didn't make sense, until Piper got another look through the peepers. More ships, all with Cyclonian flags raised high, were literally appearing in the sky before them.

"Ha! I knew it! Invisible!"

"What's going on!?"

The rest of the team, Starling, and the Absolute Zeros rushed to the bridge, a bit too fast. Billy-Rex and Robby-Ray tripped over each other, and succeeded in taking Finn down with them, but no one paid them any mind.

Junko had been right. Piper figured it out. Master Cyclonis must have been planning this for a while, which is why she hadn't just raided the place ealrier. She'd cloaked the entire terra, keeping it hidden so that even when the Sky Knights arrived they wouldn't be able to stop the raid. It was pretty damn smart of her.

At least fifty Cyclonian carriers now hung in the air, and a number of skimmers were with them. Their cannons and guns were firing nonstop, even though many of the blasts hit nothing, and their blood-red flags contratsed greatly with the blue sky. Some of the other squadrons had began a counter-attack, but it was no use. The Cyclonians had the element of surprise, and the Sky Knights were completely blown off guard. But, as soon as the attack started, it ended. The guns continued firing, but the ships were speeding away from the fleet of Atmosians.

And the Sky Knights would have followed after them, if it weren't for the explosion. Terra Anoyo and the prison had appeared, but in flames. The entire terra was on fire, and the initial explosion had been rigged like a giant fire work. The symbol of the Cyclonian Talons now hung suspended in the air above the terra, as if some great giant had taken a brush and painted it there.

"Damn..."

"What should we do?"

"Go after them, of course!"

Stork nodded and moved to turn the ship around in order to pursue the fleeing Cyclonians, but the buzzing of the radio stopped him.

"Sky Knights, come in Sky Knights."

"Carver!"

"Yeah, listen. I know you probably want to follow after us, but you should be more worried about the guards we left to burn."

"You what?!"

"Good luck with that."

The radio buzzed out as Aerrow clenched his teeth and ordered everyone to their skimmers. He told Stork to send out a message to the rest of the Sky Knights, telling them to come down. They'd need all the help they could get. They couldn't risk sending half of their forces after the prisoners, the prison was big and there were sure to be hundreds of people left inside.

Besides, as much as they hated to admit, they wouldn't be able to do anything with the prisoners even if they got them back from the cyclonians. The prison was basically destroyed, so they couldn't be put back there, and they were too dangerous to leave in a regular, totally average prison. And it's not like they could live on the carrier ships, that would be like opening a rabid dog's cage door and saying 'go to it.'

It wasn't going to happen.

Everyone, minus Stork, started their rides, be it a slipwing or an ice grinder, and sped from the hangar and into the sky. Familiar skimmers came around to join them, and they all descended down to the burning terra. The Absolute Zeros readied their snow blowers, and as the great pack of atmosians came upon the biggest gate, they fired. The snow cleared away the flames, and everyone flew in unharmed.

Unfortunately, it was hard to see where they were going. The flames that licked at the walls were the only source of light in the long tunnel, and even they weren't that helpful. Aerrow growled and turned back to the Absolute Zeros.

"Guys, think you can clear the top? We're going to need somewhere to put the guards."

"Good thinking there, chief."

The sound of the ice grinders backing out of the tunnel calmed Aerrow's nerves, and he faced the rest of his allies. He told them to split up into groups, and find the guards. If they were alive, bring the up to the top. If they weren't... it was best that their families got to remember them as they were. And if any cyclonians were still there, then they were to be brought up top as well. The Sky Knights weren't murderers, even if the people they'd be murdering were cyclonians.

"Alright, get to it!"

The other skimmers sped away, but the Storm Hawks remained at the entrance of the tunnel. Aerrow gripped his handlebars so tight his knuckles were white, and his usually cheerful eyes were cold and hard. Piper came up on his side and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Aerrow, we'll get 'em back."

The red head shot the navigator a grateful look and sighed. It was clear he was pissed off that the cyclonians had gotten there and made off with their deadly cargo before the Sky Knights were able to stop them, but he was dreading what the Council would say. They'd been counting on them to protect the prison, and they'd failed. And now Cyclonia had control over the most dangerous criminals Atmos had ever seen.

Today was turning out to be a very bad day.

"Let's go, those guards aren't going to save themselves."

"Right."

They revved their rides and sped away down the tunnel, pausing only to decide which trns they should take. They passed many dead guards, either on the ground burning or pinned against the wall by shrapnel. It wasn't a pretty sight. They didn't find anyone that was actually alive, and that scared them. A prison of that size should have been teeming with guards struggling to breathe. But the long burning corridors contained nothing but broken steel doors.

"Aerrow, we gotta go! The place is coming down!"

Aerrow turned back to Finn just in time to see the young blonde slapping at aa stray cinder that had fallen in his hair. The Sky Knight resisted the urge to laugh, and observed the state of the tunnel. Finn was right, the walls were beginning to cave, and the flames were spouting off smoke that made the red head's eyes water.

"Alright. Let's hope the others were able to save some lives."

* * *

Back on the top of the terra, the Sky Knights had gathered around the disappointingly small group of surviving guards. The absolute Zeros had been able to clear the flames away on top, but there was too much tunnel and not enough time to save the prison. The flames still blazed with, so it was important they left before the entire thing collapsed and fell into the wastelands.

"Okay, who wants to take 'em?"

No one volunteered, so the Third Degree Burners were forced to take them on the grounds that their carrier was the biggest.

Back on the _Condor _the Storm Hawks were dreading the return back home. The news of the failed state of the mission would surely be a cause for heads to roll, and the casualty list of the prison guards wouldn't do much to brighten their moods.

"Well... I think I'll go play my guitar one last time before I die. See ya."

"Yeah, have fun."

Finn flashed the peace sign as the door slid shut behind him. Junko's ears drooped and he decided to head off to the kitchen to make some comfort food. Stork continued to steer the ship, Aerrow beside him, and Starling tried to comfort the Sky Knight, despite the fact that she was just as worried. The Absolute Zeros, Piper, and Radarr sat at the meeting table, with Piper absentmindedly stroking Radarr's head. Suzy-Lu was having fun watching the glaring contest Billy-Rex and Robby-Ray were having, each one seated on either side of the dark haired navigator.

It was clear to Suzy-Lu and the rest of the blizzarians that Billy-Rex and Robby-Ray shared a huge crush for the girl, and found it extremely hilarious when they both competed for her attention. Ever since Billy-Rex had found out that Piper wasn't a Sky Knight, he figured that she was fair game. He wouldn't have said it that way, though, what he _had_ said was that a Sky Knight wouldn't have time for a long-distance relationship, and since Piper wasn't a Sky Knight, then it'd work out fine.

Trouble was, Billy-Rex didn't have much experiance with girls. So he was having a hard time getting her to notice his affection without totally scaring her.

No matter how much Billy-Rex cared, Suzy-Lu still wanted Robby-Ray to win Piper's heart. Billy-Rex loved her, that much was sure, but she didn't think he knew what love really was. The wily furball loved sports, eating contests, anything extreme. Piper needed someone who could be calm and serious when the time called for it, which was something Billy-Rex hated doing.

Robby-Ray loved sports just as much as Billy-Rex, but when he decided to be calm, relaxed and gentle, he was still fun. The two were better suited for each other.

And in Suzy-Lu's opinion, they made a cuter couple.

"So Piper, when this here thing with the prison settles out, maybe you an' me could-"

"Go out fer that trainin' in the back country, eh?"

The glaring contest intensified, and the Absolute Zeros erupted into laughter while Piper and Radarr just shared looks of confusion.

**Cyclonia**

_"Are you in or out? Gotta know without a doubt. I'm the one you need for a dirty deed, I'm the best! Success is guaranteed! Are you men or mice? Take a slice of my advice. You want a fearless leader, one whose strong and stout. Better vote for me, are you in or out?" - Aladdin and the King of Thieves_

The mission force arrived back at Cyclonia about an hour after their dramatic exit.

AFter their cargo had been unloaded, most if not all of the Talons decided to take the rest of the day off. They stayed on their ships, or they gathered together in groups and made themselves comfortable in one of the palace's many chambers. Carver, Rems, and Allie-Jay stayed aboard the _Chief, _to just relax and take it easy. Their job was done, now it was their master's turn.

The ex-inmates didn't have much time to take in their new surroundings, for as soon as they were unloaded from the ships, they were brought before Master Cyclonis. They were a motley crew, an odd bunch. Some definitely looked the part of extremely-dangerous and deadly criminal, being thick-muscled, burly men with a gallery of scars and inks. With a few others, one could hardly think they had the capability of harming a fly, much less a person. There were males and females, both young and old. There were raptors, merbs, and blizzarians. There was but one thing they all had in common, their prison neck-numbers, grisly and permanent reminders of their days in Xavier's.

"Welcome to Cyclonia, my fellow outcasts. I appreciate you not giving my soldiers too much trouble."

Master Cyclonis was seated on her throne, regarding the group before her with amethyst eyes. The talons had the criminals lined up and orderly, the younger of them in the front and the older ones toward the back. The one girl Allie-Jay had taken special care to observe while on the ship was in the front row, head down and form rigid.

"Well, I don't think introductions are quite neccessary, so I'll get to the point. You all have been brought here to be talons. I know this wasn't what you were looking forward to doing when my soldiers freed you from prison. But, I think you'll find that being a talon could make you all very happy people."

No noise from the crowd, causing a sigh on Master Cyclonis' part. The young empress rose from her throne and began to descend the staircase, which induced some involuntary tightening of spine from the ex-inmates.

"You can speak to me, you know. I won't bite."

The crowd before her still remained silent, though their cold stares clearly said they were not pleased with their new surroundings. The Master blatantly ignored it, striding down the first line of criminals, eyeing each one with her cold and calculating violet eyes.

"My palace may not seem quite homey to you all just yet, but give it time. You'll soon know it like the back of your hand."

Cyclonis stopped, she stood before the only girl in the front row. In fact, she was the only female that stood in the ranks of the first fifty criminals. This time Cyclonis' eyes didn't just give a quick once-over, like with the other criminals. This time she let here eyes travel slower, carefully documenting the girl's every detail.

"Your name?"

No answer. The girl remained silent. Cyclonis cocked her head to the side, a curious glint in her eyes.

"I asked you a question, my dear."

The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife, and the girl still didn't speak. Cyclonis remained patient, continuing to stare, and waited for an answer.

"U-uhm..."

Cold violet eyes moved to stare at the young man that stood directly behind the silent girl. He was thin, but only from improper care. He was sure to fill out to be quite strong and broad-shouldered, once he was given proper nutrition. His eyes were the same unusual shade of brown as his hair. It was definitely brown, but there was an odd, nearly invisible hue of red in it. It instantly reminded the master of a shining new one-piece.

"Yes?"

"I-I think she might be a mute. She didn't say a single word the entire trip back."

"Is that so?"

The master brought her gaze back to the girl before her and stared for a bit longer. Then she brought up a pale hand and gripped the girl's chin. Her jaw clenched, but she did not resist as Cyclonis brought her head up so she could get a look at her face.

Master Cyclonis liked what she saw.

Perfect skin, smooth as silk, and not a single blemish. Perfect mouth, perfect nose... perfect. Aside from one thing. The girl kept her only visible eye shut tight. An especially wild section of the girl's hair fell down over the right half of her face, hiding her right eye from view. Cyclonis brought up her other hand to push away the hair, but the very second that skin touched skin, the girl's left eye snapped open. The girl's gaze was cold and hard, but it was the color of the iris made Cyclonis freeze.

It was a cool, stormy grey. But, there was an odd, unexplainable undertone of... something. Yellow? Gold? Yes, gold. There almost looked to be flashes of gold hidden within the girl's iris, but it was impossible to tell. One second they'd be there, and the next second they'd be gone.

Like flashes of lighting in a thunderstorm.

_'A very attractive thunderstorm...'_

"So, is he correct? You don't speak?"

Still nothing. The girl didn't even move. She didn't nod, twitch, or anything. The dark teenager's patience began to waver.

"My dear, I can stand here all day. So I suggest you answer my question, for your own sake. Just nod, I don't care. I'm sure you must be tired from the trip back."

The constantly-changing color of the girl's iris gave her stare an almost entrancing quality, and the more Cyclonis matched it evenly with her own, the more she began to loose interest in everything else around her. The eyes of the other criminals were all trained on the pair, but Cyclonis didn't seem to notice, so lost in the girl's eyes she was. The trance was broken, though, when the girl let out a small sigh.

"No."

"No what?"

"I'm not a mute. Now would you remove your hand?"

"...Why would I do that?"

"Because I don't like strangers in my personal space."

The smirk split into a full chesire cat grin. Cyclonis moved closer, uncomfortably closer. Their foreheads almost touched, and the master's breathe fanned out over the girl's face. Her grip loosened and her hand moved up to stroke the girl's cheek. She moved her head so that her mouth was right up against the girl's ear.

"What did you say your name was?"

"...I don't know."

Cyclonis didn't move, she was quite fine where she was, but she couldn't help the look of confusion that graced her features. The grin was replaced with a small frown.

"Pardon?"

"...I don't know what my name is. I haven't needed one for a long time."

"Hm... then whatever shall I call you?"

"I don't care as long as you take a couple of steps back."

Cyclonis chuckled and gave in to the girl's request. She missed the prescence of the girl's unusually comforting body heat, but didn't let it show, and put a hand to her chin. Her eyes resumed their travel over the girl's form, while a list of possible names went through her head.

"Huh... names, names, names... oh! You know what? I think I've got it."

Cyclonis grinned and leaned in close to the girl's face again, an satisfied spark in her eyes.

"In an old language I'm happy to know... 'thunder' translates to a word that I think could suite you very well. Rois. Mm-hm. Rois."

**((A/N: Rois is to be pronounced 'roy-eez'. It is the gaelic word for thunder.))**

"Alright. We'll finish this tomorrow, my friends. I'm sure you are all exhausted. So I'll make this quick. My talons got you out, so you are in our debt. you will be talons until I feel each and every one of you has repaid that debt. Once you have, you can choose to remain with us, or you can try and make your way in the world. Am I clear?"

Many wanted to protest, and many almost did. One thing stopped them. The hard, unmoving gaze of Master Cyclonis, and the second, disembodied voice that accentuated her question. Instead of an all out revolt right then and there, most just glared with all their might, while a courageous few did nothing more than snarl. Their weak protest was ignored, and the same talons that escorted the prisoners to the throne room now escorted them to their new cells.

* * *

The barracks weren't much, just lines and lines of bunk-beds. But to the criminals, who hadn't slept in beds in years, it was absolute heaven.

The newly-dibbed Rois chose a bottom bunk that was in the back corner of the room, a bit confused as to what she was supposed to do with the blankets. She didn't notice the boy that spoke up in the throne room come up behind her.

"Hi."

Rois jumped and fell back onto the bed while the young man laughed.

"Sorry, sorry! I didn't want to scare you. Do you mind if I...?"

"N-no, go ahead. Sorry for jumping. I'm just a bit-"

"Weirded out? Yeah. That creepy chic wants to get in your pants. I can imagine how you must feel."

"...Again please?"

Rois stared at him, glared really, and he let loose another quick chuckle as he climbed up to the top bunk. Once he had himself situated, he turned his attention back to the irritated girl below him and smirked a devilishly handsome smirk.

"You heard me. She. Wants. To. Get. In. Your. Pants. It's obvious. The name's Copper by the way."

Rois stared at his hair and cocked her head to the side, the hint of a smile on her face, before muttering, 'Fitting.' Copper rolled his eyes and laid down on the cot, his hands behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling, thoughts flitting from one subject to another, before he finally spoke what he'd been thinking since they'd entered the throne room.

"We still aren't free. We're still prisoners. This is just a change in scenery."

"You think?"

Rois took his snort for a yes, and sighed. He was absolutely right. The second Master Cyclonis used the word 'debt,' it was confirmed. They were still bound in shackles, bound by someone else's will. They weren't idiots, they wouldn't fight back, there were too many talons, and Rois could guess Master Cyclonis wasn't someone you wanted on your bad side.

"So... good night?"

"Yeah."

Copper sighed, but soon fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep. Rois wasn't so lucky.

She stayed awake, long into the night. She wasn't tired. She toyed with a frayed part of the blanket, listening to the many different breathing rythms of the others. Suddenly, it was about halfway through the night and she still hadn't succeeded in falling asleep, she felt that she needed to ask a question. She got up and looked at Copper's sleeping form. She poked him in the shoulder, harder when he didn't wake up, and eventually she had to give him a good shake before he cracked a bronze eye open.

"Why were you sent to hell?"

He regarded her shadowed form for a while, before sighing. His face took on an almost pained expression, as if the memories hurt.

"My father was the King of Terra Razco. I murdered him, my mother, and I raped my step-sister. Then I set the whole Terra on fire."

Her stare never wavered, and he couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"What did you do?"

She stayed silent for a while, long enough for Copper to wonder if he'd insulted her. But she didn't have anger in her gaze, or sadness. The only thing he saw was a mix of curiosity and frustration.

"I... don't know."


End file.
